Iran generally has a positive track record on internal security. Though Tehran’s very active role in defeating the so-called Islamic State (IS) has made the country a target for extremist attacks, soft intelligence, and the presence of Iranian proxies in neighbouring countries have mitigated that risk.

Nonetheless, border regions to Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan should be avoided for the foreseeable future due to cross-border terrorist activity.

Since the implementation of the nuclear accord, also known as the JCPOA, Iran has been normalising relations with the rest of the world, especially the European Union.

That has made three international players unhappy. The United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia are all concerned about the gradual empowerment of Tehran in the post-JCPOA phase and will continue to use all instruments at their disposal to antagonise Iran.

The Iranian economy is now firmly in a growth cycle, though challenges such as unemployment and inflation remain. Above-average growth in the services sector, especially tourism, health tourism, and IT start-ups, could act as positive game changers in the employment outlook.

The oil and gas sector remains the backbone of the economy. Iran has successfully recovered from the period of harsh sanctions, fully rehabilitating its oil production and export levels. That trend is set to continue in 2018 as production and export capacity expand.

It will be important to monitor the signing of new contracts with international companies in all sub-sectors, especially upstream oil and gas and petrochemicals. Iran expects to sign more than US$20 billion in energy contracts in 2018.